Work in the group is divided into projects developing new biophysical techniques and projects exploiting these techniques to study membrane biology. Many of these are linked to how molecules get across the cell membrane. Here's a selection of the projects currently underway:

Droplet Interface Bilayers

Using microfabrication and 3D-printing we develop new artificial lipid bilayers that give us control over membrane properties.

An Artificial Plasma Membrane

We build mimics of cell membranes from their component parts. This helps us understand precisely how these components work together. It also lets us build artificial protocells with new emergent properties.

Nanopore Sensing

We develop new optical methods that exploit the flow of ions through protein nanopores for sensing and sequencing.

Label-free Optical Imaging

We apply a new generation of label-free single-molecule methods to go beyond the current sensitivity and speed limits of single-molecule methods.

Linking Conformation to Function in Individual Ion Channels

By combining single-molecule sensitive measurements of shape change and ionic flux in an ion channel we are able to shed new light onto the mechanism of these important proteins.

Assembly of Membrane Protein Complexes

We are interested in precisely how large macromolecular protein complexes can assemble in a membrane. What drives this assembly, and how can we control it?